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REVIEW: Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty at Mayflower Theatre

Owen Noon

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Birmingham Royal Ballet are back at Mayflower Theatre with their rendition of the classic ‘The Sleeping Beauty’. BRB’s production of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ was created by Sir Peter Wright, the same man also behind the company’s famous ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Lake’. Now lots of people know the story of sleeping beauty, most probably from the 1959 Disney film; but the story is actually one that spans back around 500 years. Carlos Acosta’s (Director) ballet shows the best of the enchanting, classical experience with familiarities for all of the family. To add to the magic, you get to hear Tchaikovsky’s original music played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia!

One thing I love about BRB’s productions is just the sheer scale of everything. From the set, to costume, to the size of the company and all the extras in-between – nothing is forgotten. It takes the classical layout of a ballet and transports you to what you can only imagine an original ballet in the day was like. Yet it doesn’t feel dated! With ballet companies such as Matthew Bourne’s giving a new contemporary spin on ballet, there’s always potential for the classics to fade away. However from seeing a packed out Mayflower Theatre tonight, I can happily say that this isn’t the case. For those of you that don’t know the fairytale story of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, I’ll give you a very quick run down: a beautiful Princess is cursed by an evil fairy by pricking her finger and falls into a deep, deep sleep. The only way to break this curse is from a Prince’s kiss. It’s a real good defeats evil story – and the way it’s told through ballet is immaculate. 

The Prologue was just beautiful.

This ballet is split into four different sections; Prologue, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Usually in my reviews I like to sum up what I thought of certain performances or sections within the show, but I think it only right that I give each section its own rundown. However I’d firstly like to give the whole company a huge round of applause and congratulations as they were all flawless. Each dancer left their all on that stage, and the way in which they told this story through only movement was exceptional. So without further ado:

The Prologue was just beautiful. This is the way you start a show and catch the attention of an audience immediately. All of the cast were perfectly in-sync and you could tell how polished and disciplined these dancers must be. This is the set up to the rest of the story we’re about to witness, so it’s also the part of the show that needs to have a lot of information put across and understood. Doing this solely through dance can be challenging for newbies to ballet, but the use of balletic mime literally gave speech to the dance (a little more on this later). The mixed solo and group pieces in this classical format was incredibly impressive, and I loved the shift from light to dark, good to evil. It was beautiful, but then all of a sudden it was beautifully dark. This is of course thanks to the energy of the company, but also the fantastic lighting effects used (more on this later once again). The portrayal of comedy throughout as well was definitely a fun extra.

Act 1 was where we are first introduced to ‘Princess Aurora’ played by the fantastic Yu Kurihara. Yu was outstanding! Aurora is one of the most demanding female leads in classical ballet, and Yu made it look like a piece of cake. As for the rest of the company, it was in this act that I couldn’t stop thinking: ballet dancers aren’t just performers, they’re athletes! The constant tempo change to not only keep attention but also allow the story to flow was not lost either. The change from celebration to darkness was seamless yet again. It was in this act that ‘Princess Aurora’ actually became ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ and got her finger pricked. I thought the way in which this was done was incredibly simple but also incredibly effective and easy to follow. If you know the story, I thought the way in which Aurora was led to sleep and locked away in the forest was also extremely effective. 

Fantastic from everybody involved!

Act 2 is where we are introduced to ‘Prince Florimund’ played by Lachlan Monaghan. He showed such a strong stage presence and commanded himself and the story so powerfully. This is the act where we see the Prince first find the Princess and find out that he is in love with her. I think this act was possibly my favourite of them all. Everything fell together perfectly and that really helped paint a vivid picture for me. The high tempo change from the start of the act, dipping when the Prince is trying to get to Aurora, then climbing again when he finally gets her. The effects and set that were used in this act, from the forest to the fog really helped to give an impact onto the story that was being told. 

Finally, Act 3 was probably the most fun of them all. It’s the high note now that good has finally defeated evil. It’s mystical, it’s whimsical, it’s just a good time. After having the perfect opening to the show, this is definitely the perfect ending to the show. There was again a mixture of solo, group and duet dances in a classical format which just flowed wonderfully. If you’re not used to a classical ballet format, this could perhaps feel quite long winded or strung out, but I think that it rounded out the story perfectly and it would have felt odd if it was done any differently. The whole company on the stage together really raised the energy and had you leaving the theatre on a high! Fantastic from everybody involved! The dancers movements were so powerful and strong and the dancing throughout was inspired from all of them.

As I mentioned briefly, the set and design of BRB’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ was perfection. The set was grand, it didn’t change much but it was big and regal which is exactly what it needed to be. The costumes were classic, sometimes crazy, and the way they moved with the dancers was beautiful. I mentioned how I particularly like the forest effect. This again was incredibly simple, it was just some curtains flying in staggered almost looking like giant cargo netting. Seeing the Princess sleeping behind one of these was a fantastic way of doing it. I also mentioned how good the lighting effects were. Every time Carabosse (The wicked fairy) appeared, there was thunder and lighting (and sometimes pyrotechnics). It was also a nice touch to add different coloured spotlights upon different characters depending if they were ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I also loved the fog that was used in act 3, the way it settled on the stage gave the effect that the audience was also lost – after following the feet of the dancers to now not being able to see them. 

This is an amazing classical piece of ballet.

I mentioned earlier about balletic mime as well. If you’ve been to see a ballet before, you’re probably more than aware of certain pieces of mime meaning certain things. However if you’re new to it, you probably wouldn’t have a clue. I just wanted to say how impressed I was to find a little ‘balletic mime code’ in the programme! This would really help any audience member follow the story a little bit better. It’s also worth noting that for the kids (and adults), there is a comic book style storyboard of exactly what happens within the show. Amazing touch! 

Overall, this is an amazing classical piece of ballet. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia were the cherry on the cake. The whole company are insanely talented and you can really tell how much work they put into polishing their performances. This isn’t just dance, it’s a story that is being told. The ballet can be quite daunting to just try and follow along with and know what’s going on, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this is the same. However, I think BRB have done a fantastic job at opening this up to everybody and helping them out; old and young, ballet connoisseur or newbie. This is a show for the whole family and I think you’ll love it if you’ve already seen a ballet, but I think you should also give BRB a go if you’ve never seen a ballet. I wish everybody involved with BRB’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ the best of luck, as it leaves Mayflower Theatre on the 10th February before carrying on on its UK tour. 

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Hampstead movie review

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Hampsted movie poster

With the passing of Diane Keaton I decided that I would watch some of her old work.

I chose to watch the 2017 movie Hampstead as it seemed to be quite a good representation of her acting skills. 

It is based loosely (trying not to give the plot away, however it did come out eight years ago!) on Harry Hallowes real life, he used to live on a plot in Hampstead Heath and then managed to claim rights on it. 

One of the best parts of this movie was the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson.

It felt natural and not strained which definitely made it more believable for me.

Their chemistry also helped make their characters seem more natural making their performance that much better. 

I’m not one who normally enjoys romantic (some may say sappy) movies but the mixture of romance and social justice themes in this movie made it not too uncomfortable.

It gives the audience a feel-good time with us feeling like we are doing something right, due to us deciding that Gleeson’s character is right.

It made me feel like I was standing up for the underdog and marginalised communities.

I found it quite clever how they made it an easy movie to watch, not too many sad themes, while also fitting in the themes of community and standing up for the right thing.

I would say that if you are feeling a bit down then this would be a very good movie too watch. 

A perfect movie for a light matinee

As a nature person, the setting of this film was spectacular.

I really liked the idea of an expanse of nature so close to a city.

It creates a very picturesque backdrop for the movie which further added to the warmthness portrayed throughout the movie.

I especially liked where Keaton’s character ended up living in the end. 

However, as always there are critics.

With this movie one of the big critiques was that the story was very predictable and followed the same formula that a lot of other romance movies used.

There was just too many cliches which made it painful for the audience to witness again and due to the lack of surprises it was not the most engaging film to watch.

This goes hand in hand with the fact that the characters where more broad and stereotypical than they should have been. 

The other big critique from this movie was that people thought it lacked tone and depth, saying that while it did touch on different societal problems such as eviction, class divide and property divide it didn’t pronounce it enough.

It felt a bit like dipping one toe into the water of the problems.

While I do agree that it didn’t delve deep into the problems society faces, I didn’t think that was what the movie was about or what the directors were trying to get across to the audience.

I believe that it was simply highlighting these issues in an easy to understand way. 

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Are Max Martin and Shellback the downfall of Taylor Swift’s latest album?

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The release of Taylor Swift’s 12th LP, The Life of a Showgirl, has been met with divided opinions. 

Although a record breaking 2.7m albums were sold on the first day of release, not all these buyers are satisfied.

It might be a push to say the majority are. Online, listeners argue this album is “millennial cringe” and that Swift is showing her “true capitalist self”. 

Alongside Swift herself, Max Martin and Shellback produced the album.

Long-time collaborators, they previously helped define 1989 and Reputation. But this marks the first time the trio have exclusively worked together.

1989 and Reputation catapulted Swift to global pop fame.

Through hits such as Blank Space, Shake it Off and Getaway Car, Martin and Shellback provided Swift a clean break from her country roots, throwing her into the deep end of mainstream pop.

However, a decade later the formula feels tired.

So why has The Life of a Showgirl fallen so flat?

Following Swift’s last album The Tortured Poets Department, a lyrically rich 31 song LP radiating heartbreak and introspection, the synthetic glitz and glamour of Showgirl feel false. 

In a post-Folklore world, where Swift proved her strength as a lyricist with the help of producer Jack Antonoff, the return to maximalism and Martin-Shellback production feels hollow. 

With the loss of Antonoff and the return of Martin and Shellback, has Swift lost the reflective heart of her songwriting? 

That’s not to say Showgirl is without merit.

Its production is faultless, and the album follows a clear and fluid theme.

But perhaps that’s the problem. In collaborating solely with Martin and Shellback, Swift may have created her most technically accomplished album but her least emotionally convincing one. 

Whether this is a misstep or the purpose of the album remains to be seen.

But the reception of The Life of a Showgirl questions the path Swift is on.

Now the world dominating Eras Tour is over, is the peak of Swift’s career over too?

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The End of Strictly Come Dancing as we know it?

Emily Byway

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We all know Strictly Come Dancing as one of the most popular prime time slots on a Saturday night.
But could this be the end of Strictly as we know it?


The BBCs show has struggled recently with allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour, but now Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have released a joint statement to say they are passing the sparkly button on at the end of this series.


Their Instagram statement in full:

We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.
Tess & Claud

Following their joint statement they each released their own statements as a follow up.

Tess Daly’s statement in full:

After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing. It’s hard to put into words what this show has meant to me, so here goes… Strictly has been more than just a television programme. It’s felt like having a third child, a second family, and a huge part of my life since that very first show back in 2004. I knew then it was something special, but I could never have imagined the magic it would bring.

Strictly has always been about joy, celebration, and bringing people together – and I’m so proud to have played a small part in something that continues to mean so much to so many.

From that very first series, I had the great honour of standing alongside the incomparable Sit Bruce Forsyth.

Brucie set the tine for everything that Strictly became: warmth, wit, connection, and pure showbiz magic.

I have always been in awe of our superbly talented professional dancers, our magnificent judges, and all the celebrities who have taken part. I absolutely adore our brilliant crew – every single member of the Strictly team who have worked tirelessly to make this show what it is. You are the very best in the business – the kindest, most fun, most loyal, and definitely the hardest-working team in television.

Thank you for your laughter, the friendship, and the countless memories over all these years. You’ve filled my heart in ways I’ll never forget. I’ll miss you all so much.

And to you – the viewers at home – the biggest thank you of all. Thank you for welcoming us into your homes for over two decades.

Your love, loyalty, and unwavering support have meant the world. You’ve carried us through every series, and that has never, ever been taken for granted. You are the heart of this show, and I feel so lucky to have shared it with you. Being part of your weekend from September to Christmas for the past 21 years has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my career.

To my beloved Claud – what an absolute joy and pleasure it has been sharing this adventure with you. You’re one of a kind, and I’ll treasure every giggle, every live show, and every backstage moment we’ve shared. I’m so grateful to have you as my friend for life.

This isn’t goodbye to glitter, sequins, or Saturday night sparkle (I could never say goodbye to those!). Strictly will forever hold a special place in my heart – but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins.

With all my love and endless gratitude, Tess x


Tess Daly has been on the show since its very first episode seeing over 300 celebrities enter the ballroom and join the competition.

She started the show with Sir Bruce Forsyth, with Claudia Winkleman being a part of their presenting team hosting the sister show It Takes Two.

The duo made history in 2014 becoming the first female presenting duo of a prime time slot.
As a team they have welcomed almost 200 celebrities into the ballroom.

Over their time on the show they have also seen nine judges join and leave the show.

Claudia Winkleman’s statement reads:
It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me. It’s been the greatest relationship of my career. From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for. I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to cohosting on Saturday nights.

Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing. I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent, I look forward to watching them take Strictly to new heights. As for Tess – I’m so so lucky I got to stand next to you. You’re funny, kind, whip smart and a true friend and I love you.


With two of the biggest jobs in the BBC now up for grabs who will we see step into the glitz and glammer of Saturday night at Strictly Come Dancing?

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